St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-14

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till then" No one contradicted her.
Her dress had come home on the
morning Of the great ball; she had tried
it on with some Pickering strength, and
had ordered Il slight alteration to be
made. 1t was cOrSelet and undreSs
Melted with bits of m0ther-of-pearl,
softly glittering in faint reflections of
innumerable cOlorS, and over it was
profusi0n of flowing tulle, held together
and literally streaming with pearls and
OpalS and moOnstOneS. So Shelley's
Cloud, indeed, might stream and glitter
when the moons beam kissed il on a
mountain side, and sutiused its rolling
fleece with bloom and splendor. it tired
her, perhaps, when she tried it on a
second time, after the gas Jets were
Lighted. Il will not take it off again."
she murmured. Just lift all this tulle
pound me in the chair so that it shall
not be crushed. And YOU might take
the Jewels off till by and by-they are
So heavy" And that done, her head
dropped little on one side and she fell
asleep.
The music is crashing from the bal
cony built behind the ballroom, i'm its
forest OF palms and ferns, and huge
orange trees; and the air is bewildertng
with the breath of the roses that gar
land the walls. But there is one dancer
that, looking on the scene, you would
miss; you would know her in any dis
guise, for there is 40 dancer in the town
to compare with her; when she is on the
floor all others seem heavy and slow and
inert. She is late-ah, no-there she is,
now! She is in a mist OF tulle, wrapped
in it. yelled with it. surrounded by its
flowing folds. herself hardly seen for its
airy circnmambience as she hovers
there one moment, waiting the
approach of that form in its
armOr, with the great star burning in
the casquc-the form that looks like one
of FlaXnlan's outlines filled with life,
and blood, and strength. 1t is I.ucifer.
She melts into his arms as Il cloud
might melt upon pine, as a wave upon
q rock, Il moment pauSing for the turn
of the tune and then swinging away on
its tide. While the music beats out the
wild Hungarian modulatiOEs the two,
sWathed by the flowing and Cncircling
gaUZcS, seem but Il ciOud driven by q
gale: wild wall the vi0linS. deep, deep
and rich through winding ways the
obocs and bassoonS reply, the flutes sigh
the harpS sing like human voices {;
sweet. sweet and sad and strange
the tune SwellS and scars with us
motion; and now the time falls more
gently, the motion grows slower, they
drift along softly, and on the last sigh
ing Of the melody the clang of the mid
might bell from some rear tower begins
to strike. Half stitied by the hum, the
murmur, the movement and the music,
it sounds like Il distant voice, as if enc
called and bade another come, IL voice of
| measured, tOiiing syl!ableS. 4 sense OF
chill creepS over the youth il his silver
arMor, through ali the warm and iuXuri-
ouS atmosphere and the heat of the
hradiOng dance. 4 chill so unaccOuutablc
that it tprrii;eS him and seems to curdle
his blood: he is taking t::e last step, he
is about to Cpcn his arms and release
his partner. when 10! there Is nothing in
them. Wrapped in her cloud OF tulIa Il
moment since she was there; light Us Il
| puff of vapor she is gone.
At home, III the broad mConbeam that
| has crept round and 0vcraid her. Anne
Estray is sitting where her people left
| her-Whcre many times since they have
crept i'll n0!sc!eSsly, fearing to disturb
| her s!ecp-her head fallen little on
one sitie, Il slight scarlet stain beside
are you not III the c0tillon, Sen of the
Morning?' asks the White Lady OF
IiohenZolern OF the figure in shining
arinor leaning against tie doorway.
"DiSaster,' answers Lucifcr. who
meets the White Lady every day al
| home. Since the last dance MY arms
have been numb to the shoulder
| Haven't you shiyered as some building
| did when the organ struck its keynote:
| That is the way have been feeling ever
| since that last dance with Anne EStray
BY the way, what has become Of herr
Haven you heard? What are YOU
talking about? Have you had too much
champagne! | should think your wits
Wtre numb instead OF your arms, Ammo
| iEStray has not been here Tonight. Wore
WAS just whispered about here, brought
! by some One-Anne EStray was fount
dead i'll her chair at home half an hour
/ age"
Anne Estray? Impossible. She was
! here; | was dancing with her 1t tia
Very time --.,-~. .-...,. -,
"Yo have mistaken some one else fOl
her
y do you suppose have been Anne
Estray's partifeT all winter not to know
| her touch, her shape, her step? She Wa
here. She was in my arms; she melted
out of them. Ii it wasn't Anne EStTay
who was it? Dead, is she? Are you
sure Of it? Quite sure. Great God
! Marion, has Anne FStray nothing els,
70 DO through all eternity? No WOnde
ain cold and numb. Don't You See?'
throwing wide his empty arms again
Il have been dancing with her ghost! =